allen mall shooting

FBI Extends Hub for Allen Support Services Until Friday

Families can receive help at Allen Senior Recreation Center until Friday

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The FBI Dallas Field Office and Allen Police Department have extended crisis assistance, mental health services, spiritual care and more for the survivors of the outlet mall shooting until Friday evening.

The Family Assistance Center was launched to help those affected by the May 6 shooting.

"It's an opportunity for victims to walk in, and then they'll get access to see kind of what services they need," Melinda Urbina said. Urbina is the public affairs specialist for the FBI Dallas Field Office.

"I think a lot of times there's a misconception that if you're a victim, you had to have been shot, maybe physically injured. And that's not the case. It's not just being physically injured. A lot of times emotional distress is an injury that I think is sometimes not visible," Urbina said.

So far, more than 100 people and 30 families have sought help at the center.

In addition to emotional support, survivors can pick up any belongings they might have abandoned in an open space while they ran for safety.

"A big thing that we're able to do is return the personal effects," Urbina said. "So, I think sometimes that's just a relief in their mind. This was such a traumatic thing for them. And to get something back that's so personal sometimes brings just, like, a little bit of a positive thing in their lives."

Items left inside the stores will be coordinated at a later time by store managers.

The center is located at 451 St Mary Drive in Allen and will be open Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With the outpouring of support for the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub for all verified fundraisers related to the shooting. The online fundraising platform said it was working around the clock to make sure that all funds donated go directly to survivors or the families of victims.

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